Promising Practice Programs

The Man who Stole my Mother's Face

Agency Hatchling Productions
119 Elliot Road
Clunes
NSW, 2480
Website http://www.hatchling.com.au
http://www.hatchling.com.au/face/home.php
Contact Cathy Henkel and Jeff Canin
Producers
P: (02) 6629 1449
F: (02) 6629 1089
E: info@hatchling.com.au
Start date 2004
End date 2008
Program type Community awareness/education
Geographical area Australia wide
Target group Women
Adult survivors
Children
Male victims
Indigenous People
People from a diverse range of Cultures
People with disabilities
Rural Service providers
Criminal justice practitioners
Police
Description

'The Man who Stole my Mother's Face' is an award-winning documentary available on DVD, VHS and online. It explores the unsolved case of the rape of the filmmaker's own mother.

Two days before Christmas in 1988, Cathy Henkel's 59-year-old mother was sexually assaulted and savagely beaten in her home by a young white teenager. Fourteen years on, Laura had still not recovered from this assault. The police bungled the investigation, the neighbours disputed her version of events and her son blamed her for letting the perpetrator into her house.

The teenager, identified from a school photograph, was never charged and remains a free man. The film is Cathy's search for some form of justice and whatever it takes to help her mother heal and move on from this trauma. The journey takes her back to Johannesburg, city of her birth, to confront the past and the present climate of violence.

The police re-open the case, but they run into numerous obstacles and the filmmaker has to take matters into her own hands. What she discovers and the answers she brings back for her mother form the climax of this compelling, and ultimately uplifting, film.
Promising practice examples The accompanying web site, at www.themanwhostolemymothersface.com includes a great deal of contextual reference information including, for example, a section that encourages those who are affected by sexual assault to report the offence to the police and for doing so as soon after the attack as possible. In other sections, the web site lifts the veil on the most hidden crime in the world and debunks the myths. As a result of the film, many people affected by sexual assault have spoken up for the first time in their lives and sought help.
  • Takes account of contemporary research and practice developments in the field of sexual assault.
  • Positions diversity as key to the development, understanding and delivery of good practice models.
  • Contributes to improving systems' responses to sexual assault, and is directed at preventing sexual assault.
  • Demonstrates a sensitivity towards the barriers faced by victim/survivors in disclosing and reporting sexual assault.
  • Has a clearly defined conceptual framework.
Based on existing program N/A
Philosophical framework From the outset, Cathy Henkel wanted the film to be uplifting and empowering, and not a depressing experience for the audience. Along the way, she discovered that making the film also helped people heal because they had a forum through which they could talk about the trauma brought about by sexual assault.
Research informing program The producers consulted Dr Melanie Heenan, coordinator of the Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault at the Australian Institute of Family Studies; Lisa Vetten, manager of the Gender Unit at the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation in South Africa and Vivien Clear, who advocated on behalf of the film through Women's Health NSW.
Publications
  • Child, J. (2005), 'The Man Who Stole My Mother's Face: a search for justice: review'. Aware: ACSSA Newsletter no. 5 January p.3-4.
  • Lee, Tran Lam (2004), 'Feature article'. Limelight Magazine July p.28.
  • Inside Film magazine 1 July 2004
Evaluation External written evaluation following attendance of a film/DVD screening.
Please refer to the review in Feb 2005 edition of 'Aware', the ACSSA newsletter.
Availability The DVD can be purchased from the Hatchling website: http://www.hatchling.com.au/buydvds.htm for $35.00
Funding Produced in association with the Australian Film Commission and the New South Wales Film and Television Office with the assistance of Film Finance Corporation Australia and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

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